3:06
A tiny custom wheelchair for Toby the Yorkie
Toby the Yorkie came into the world by accident, and with more to carry than most puppies ever will. more
His mother was very tiny, and he was born with hydrocephalus. Water collects on his brain, so his head is swollen and almost heavier than the rest of him. His back legs don't work, and even simple moves take real effort.
His owner had him for five weeks, then told a friend they had decided to put him down. The friend called the woman who helps run Florida Yorkie Rescue. She told the friend, "Every life is worth living," and they took him right away. When they got him, he weighed 16 ounces.
She doesn't think his back legs will ever be normal, though they're trying to bring back as much feeling as they can. So a company that makes pet wheelchairs offered him a custom one, the tiniest it has ever made. Strapped in, with red, white and blue socks on his paws, he looks ready for a small parade.
SaveNot every problem has a gadget. There is trouble with his gums, so it's back to the vet to see if his mouth is forming properly, and he takes a lot of different medicines. Still, he is not miserable. She can tell he's happy, and she would not change him. "He's perfect the way he was born."
He's getting playful, too, with quite a little personality, and she says he sounds like one of those wind-up toys. She has always had a soft spot for underdogs and has cared for special needs dogs before. One of them, Tootsie, needed a shot every day for the 11 years she had her.
Toby has a fan base now, and plenty of people have offered to adopt him. He's staying put. Few people can be home around the clock the way he needs, and as she puts it, he has "already wrapped his paws right around mommy's heart."
One word bothered viewers more than any other. Toby came from an accidental litter, but people kept writing in to say he was never a mistake, just a pup who needed the right person to see him. He found her.














